San Juanico Park Golf & Country Club

I have seen this place a number of times, but from afar. This can be seen as you cross the San Juanico Bridge from Samar to Leyte. Of course, just a hint that this is some building far out and up on some hilly outskirts of Tacloban city. This was never in my bucket list.

Yet, I visited for a succession of "3days 0nights", because I needed to! Here's my story...

There was a 3-day seminar being held at this place, that required my presence and a few words. On arrival at the Tacloban DZR Airport, I was immediately whisked to this place so I could already say what I needed to say, hehe, before I could even get to my hotel.

What is this place?
Ah, it's a golf course! And as golf courses would usually have, there is their 'attempt' of a country club (restaurant, swimming pool, lockers and recreation, lounging areas). But do not expect it to be like the clubhouses at golf courses elsewhere. This one is 'wanting', at least at the time of my visit - which I cannot all attribute to the wrath of ST Yolanda.

That is where your experience starts - the clubhouse and offices of the "Country Club".

But what the place lacks in terms of being the usual swanky luxurious clubhouse that we see all over the country, (for the tourist) this one compensates with nice panoramas!

I hear there have even been pre-nuptial shoots in those greens and surroundings.

Even the hotel is itself also quite a view that beckons...

So there's a Hotel?
Yes there is, and in my humble opinion, though kulang pa, this facility receives better care and attention than the clubhouse and the whole expanse of the golf course itself.

Note: Clubhouse (where the pool and restaurant are) to Hotel is about 200 meters walk.

This hotel even has a new name, though am not sure which one came first!

The façade says SJ Golf Hotel - obviously meaning "San Juanico" Golf Hotel.

But on the building's side facing the clubhouse, it says Acacio Golf Hotel...

My guess, this is the present name - since that signage looks more of just an addition :)

Here's a cute trivia: look again at the 2 photos above. If you view the building from up front at its entrance by the road, it looks just like a little bungalow. But looking at it from the side, it's a 5-storey building! A terrace-like edifice going down to the greens. Clever!

Anyway, I easily discerned that this "country club" must have been very well thought out - it's easy to see proof here and there. Probably luxuriously fantastic (even grandiose) when it started. Unfortunately, some face-lifting is needed to bring this place back to its old glory. The hotel-clubhouse tandem, I mean, since each is a better half of the other!

More views...
"OMG what a place"! That, was my "loudly exclaimed" first impression. Especially in the afternoons, the views from/at either the clubhouse or the hotel are uniquely wonderful.

You can see portions of the San Juanico Bridge far in the distance, although most of it is obscured by the re-growing vegetation in the area. But the greens are so calming...

From the hotel stairs, a view of San Juanico Bridge, the pool (bright roof) and clubhouse.

Balcony view from an upper room at Acacio Hotel. Those are balconies of other rooms.

All rooms facing the golf course each have such spacious open deck balconies. Well, rooms on the other side would probably have no windows since the building hugs a hill!

View from the clubhouse terrace looking left - to the Acacio Hotel...

The whole side of this clubhouse is like that - a very long spacious view deck!

Front of the clubhouse. Tee-off mound is where I placed the yellow dot with arrow

Not bermuda grass everywhere, and needs tender loving care, but good grass enough!

Right-side view from the clubhouse - the swimming pools and San Juanico Bridge 

In that 'building' are shower rooms. Under this foregroud roof are tables, loungers, etc.

Food is what this place needs to enhance. All they have is no more than that of ordinary streetside restaurants in the city. Almost like those cooked at school canteens or even turo-turo! Sandwiches, pancit, chippy, ganun lang! Not the "country club" level or appeal!

Coffee is just the "3-in-1" thing in sachet. There was even no Coke on my first day!

You see this "buffet" food on lower right of this picture? It's not even from this place...

It's a catered set-up from some service they contacted to serve food for these people attending a seminar workshop. What if you were just a lone visitor? They have Skyflakes!

Oh well, I say again, this is a nice place, especially if you want to get away from the city - because aside from it is far, there is no regular commuter transport to this place.

Secluded (na sana), but the lack of 'respectable' food choices here means, you will, after all, have to go to the city anyway if you want to eat good food! That's 12kms away haha!

No wonder the workshop proponents booked me at a city-proper hotel for 4days 3nites, even if my sole purpose of coming was just to attend the event happening in this place!

But a day-tour here would be good enough, I guess.